Monopolies urged to handhold small businesses :: Mmegi Online

Vice Chancellor of Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Professor Otlogetswe Totolo has called upon local and regional monopolies to start outsourcing services and products to small and emerging players in an effort to mitigate against rising unemployment in the country and promote skills and technology transfer.

Speaking at a Competition Authority (CA) symposium themed An integrated business and competition at Avani on Wednesday, the academic who was the guest speaker, said if the nation wanted broad-based development that touches everyone’s lives in Botswana, “then we must do everything possible to support Small Micro & Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) and start-ups. More so now that we face challenges of unemployment and the working poor”.

Prof Totolo observed that while established businesses with subsidiaries may be adding value to their owners, such monopolistic tendencies currently presented additional challenge for small businesses and start-ups when it came to competition.

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